The former Lafarge lands are one step closer to being developed after a recent Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) decision cleared a major hurdle in the development being started.
Silvercreek Guelph Developments Ltd. and 2089248 Ontario Inc. filed an appeal to OLT to speed up the development of the lands in 2023. The basis was a lack of a decision from Guelph City Council on official plan and zoning change requests needed to move forward.
The property in question is triangular in question, east of the Hanlon Expressway, south of Paisley Road and north of Waterloo Avenue.
A new proposal from November was accepted by identified parties Silvercreek Guelph Developments, 2089248 Ontario Inc., City of Guelph and CN Rail.
The tribunal revoked the party status of Howitt Park Neighbourhood Residents Association (HPNRA) before it looked at the current proposal. HPNRA was added as a party in 2023 and was removed because it did not attend one of the hearings or give an explanation as to why it didn’t attend.
The plan now is for a total of 660 residential units to be built including 247 townhouses, a 204-unit apartment building, and 209 residential units within mixed-use buildings. It has changed slightly from the previous proposal where there were 75 less townhouses, 12 more apartment units and seven more residential units compared to the current plan. The site also features a park and 3,250 square metres of commercial space.
It’s marketed as Silvercreek Junction and the initial submission was made to the city in 2020.
In an effort to speed up the process the parties are seeking the tribunal’s approval of the agreed-upon aspects of the official plan and zoning applications, draft plan of subdivision and conditions of draft plan approval.
The re-designations of the site would allow for the development to be built and include various residential areas where high density and medium density are permitted. It also allows for natural areas and commercial areas to be part of the development.
The final revised proposal for the lands is in the public interest and shows good planning, said planning consultant Hugh Handy in the OLT decision document. The development “will contribute to the housing objectives and policies of both the province and City, including adding to a diverse housing supply in the City," said Handy.
The tribunal accepted the parties appeal and left it up to the City of Guelph to administer the permits for the project if the conditions have been met under the draft plan approval process.
Parties have agreed on everything associated with the planning except for a few a few outstanding matters. One of the matters is for a grade-separated crossing at Silvercreek Parkway and the Metrolinx rail line at the north edge of the lands to be designed and constructed. Before work on the site begins the developer is supposed to enter a financial agreement for this specific work.
The other matter is the developer would be responsible for the total cost of the design and construction of all municipal services for in and around the subdivision and would include: asphalt, storm facilities, water facilities, walkways and road works (asphalt, sidewalks, boulevards and curbs, with the distance, size and alignment to be determined by the city), reconstruction of Silvercreek Parkway South, grade-separated crossing of the Metrolinx rail line and Silvercreek Parkway, intersection improvements at Silvercreek Parkway South and Waterloo Avenue and Wellington Street West, and at-grade road crossing improvements at the CN Rail crossing, as determined by engineering drawings and reports approved by the city engineer.
The developer would bear the cost of a number of potential temporary elements related to construction, such as stormwater management and emergency accesses.
A five-day hearing for the outstanding matters is expected July 21.